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June 24, 2017Lincoln in the Bardo
While I admire many, many books, very seldom do I wish I’d written the one I’m reading.I wish I’d written George Saunders’s new novel, Lincoln in the Bardo, It’s his first novel, but of course ...
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August 22, 2019"It is So Special to Carry a Name in My Traditional Language" Getting to Know Fireweed Author Tunchai Redvers
Tunchai Redvers' Fireweed (Kegedonce Press) is an unmissable powerhouse of a debut. A poetry book that is literally dedicated to the Indigenous youth who Redvers works with through her non-profit organization, ...
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February 21, 2024On Writing the Same Book Over and Over
In a 2015 webchat on The Guardian’s site, Kazuo Ishiguro was asked about his varied subject matter. He replied:“My subject matter doesn't vary so much from book to book. Just the surface does. The ...
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September 01, 2022On Shooting Stars and Poetry as Fuel
To live at all is to grieve;but, once, to have it all at onceis to see a shooting star: shooting starshooting star.Arthur Sze (From Shooting Star) I read a poem every morning. Not because I have a pile ...
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October 11, 2017On Pseudoscience, Wrestling, and Finding Storytelling in the Unconventional
When I was in university I had to take a science course to complete my undergraduate degree. I decided on “Science and Pseudoscience” – mostly because the title reminded me of the sort of conspiracy ...
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January 30, 2018Behind Every Story, A Less Interesting Story
Lillian is trying to write a good play. When progress alludes her, she tears the false starts out of her typewriter, scrunches them up into balls, and kicks over the wastebasket that brims with bad drafts. ...
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February 22, 2017
Poetry vs Prose part 1 of 2
”Why does Dane use words like poetry and prose yet refuse concepts like genre?”I've been accused of citing quotes unnecessarily, so I'll merely remind my readers of a very Canadian statement, “The ...
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September 04, 2025How to Receive Useful Writing Feedback
For many writers, giving and receiving feedback can feel like the most difficult part. It engages a part of our writerly brains that exists a bit outside the work, much like the editing process. In ...
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January 16, 2017Canadian Melancholy
During the nineties, barely out of teenagehood, I walked up to the run-down apartment building in Cabbagetown where Seth lived. I rang the bell and when he answered, in shirt sleeves and suspenders naturally, ...
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December 29, 2023When Life Influences Form
What’s the best form for your next writing project? Often, this is decided by the sort of thing you want to write. Your sprawling epic fantasy idea likely won’t work as a short story, for example. ...
